A Very Klingon Khristmas By: Paul Ruditis Illustrated By: Patrick Faricy

A Very Klingon Khristmas

A Very Klingon Khristmas By: Paul Ruditis Illustrated By: Patrick Faricy

Plot:

This hilarious parody firmly plants Klingons at the center of the Christmas story;where they rightly should be; including everything from a Santa equipped with retractable claws, tribbles in the stockings of naughty Klingon boys and girls, and the spirited holiday warmth of a hot cup of mulled blood wine. Illustrated in a classic Norman Rockwell;inspired style, A Very Klingon Khristmas is the perfect holiday gift for every Star Trek fan!

Review:

Now this is a Christmas book you can read to your children with pride. Great artwork. Great story. This is a wonderful, classic, heartwarming Christmas story.

I don’t happen to know Klingon, sadly, but there are several times it is used in the story. However, having watched plenty of Star Trek, and the fact that it rhymed, I didn’t have any problem reading it.

Honestly if you like Star Trek there is really no reason not to own this book. Imagine the joy you can have by introducing your young children to Star Trek through this book.

5/5

Classic Christmas Movie: Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)

Mickeys Christmas Carol

Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)

Director:

Burny Mattinson

Starring:

Alan Young

Wayne Allwine

Hal Smith

Plot:

The classic Disney animated characters play the roles in this animated retelling of the Charles Dickens masterpiece.

Review:

Mickey’s Christmas Carol was a movie I use to watch every Christmas, it was recorded on a VHS tape along with several other TV specials. Re-watching it with my daughter was so much fun.

It’s a lot shorter than I remember at only 26 minutes for the actual Christmas Carol. Filling up the rest of the Blu Ray are a few Disney shorts, none of which are anything remarkable.

All in all, the Christmas Carol is the best part, and even though it isn’t as faithful to the source material as The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, it’s a much easier introduction to the classic Dickens’s story.

4/5

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

the life and adventures of santa claus

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus By: L. Frank Baum

Plot:

Every child knows about Santa Claus, the jolly man who brings gifts to all on Christmas. There are many stories that tell of his life, but the delightful version relayed in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is by far the most charming and original of all. Only L. Frank Baum, the man who created the wonderful land of Oz, could have told Santa’s tale in such rich and imaginative detail.

Review:

I’m a big fan of L. Frank Baum, but I’ve somehow never read this book. I vaguely remember knowing that it existed but it wasn’t until I started looking for Christmas books that I was reminded of it.

I wouldn’t say it’s as good as the Wizard of Oz, and some parts were definitely dated, but I thought the overall story was very sweet. It is something that I look forward to reading to my daughter when she gets older.

I will say I was surprised by a fairly descriptive violent part in the book, which really just points of the differences between children’s book then and now. People are so much more protective of their children now a days.

4/5

Here’s a quote from the book that I liked:

“But it is the Law that while Evil, unopposed, may accomplish terrible deeds, the powers of Good can never be overthrown when opposed to Evil.”

Classic Christmas Movie: Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard

Die Hard (1988)

Director:

John McTiernan

Starring:

Bruce Willis

Alan Rickman

Bonnie Bedelia

Plot:

John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save wife Holly Gennaro and several others, taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.

Review:

“You don’t like flying do you?”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Do you want to know the secret to surviving air travel?”

Seriously can you beat that intro? They talk about toes! There’s a giant bear and John McClane smokes in the airport!

The good old days when a NY cop could travel to LA and still keep his gun with him, then light up in the terminal. Memories…

Anyway… It’s one of our Christmas traditions to watch this movie, though we watch it throughout the year as well. Die Hard hits all the notes of a Christmas movie but it doesn’t beat you over the head with the holiday so there’s no issue watching it the rest of the year.

I really love this film. It’s pretty much everything I want in an action movie and it’s a little spice in the sometimes overly sweetness of the Christmas season.

5/5

The Librarians (2014-?)

THe Librarians

The Librarians (2014-?)

Network:

TNT

Starring:

John Larroquette

Rebecca Romijn

Christian Kane

Plot:

A group of librarians set off on adventures in an effort to save mysterious, ancient artifacts.

Review:

The Librarian is like a poor man’s Indiana Jones and I have to say I love it. It’s a mixture of magic, history, science, and intellect. Yes I know it’s all made up and I’m sure they get things wrong, but it encourages thinking instead of going in guns blazing. The hero is a librarian that solves problems with his mind but can also kick butt.

I’m really curious to see how this series develops since Noah Wyle is not going to be in every episode.

The first episode set up the series, the new librarians are going to be dealing with the effects of the released magic, and I thought it was pretty good. On par with the movies so far. The second half (second episode?) wasn’t quite as good as the first but it was still enjoyable.

I love the fact that John Larroquette is a new character, that it wasn’t just a bunch of young geniuses added to the universe. I’m excited about this show and I thought the pilot was pretty good.